Servants Summon Arc: The Siren's Lure
The following events take place on 23rd May, concurrent with Servants Summon Arc: A Gentleman, Calling. Prologue Midnight had already passed in the New York City when the message reached Nicholas De Gracia. It didn't matter whether or not it had reached either of them on time, but the information had been most anticipated for a long while. Nicholas put the phone down and back into his pocket. "It appears that old bloodlines really do run strong." Daisy had sent them the message that they had bailed Bran from the Gibraltan authorities for trespassing on a military base surrounding the Rock that stood vigilantly eyeing across the strait to Northern Morocco. They had none on them, but it appeared the validity to the Abrhwtyn innate potency in their blood was not just a dying myth. Confirmation of history was always pleasing to Nicholas. The night suited him, or at least that was what Sinikka Jarvinen, his partner in crime so to speak, had commented. His dark hair and blue eyes were better suited for the darkness and shade than for the open light of day. It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to wear clothes that countered this naturally dark features, but his attire suited one who had been the Magus of Black. "And you think that security will not mind us using the museum so early in the morning that it doesn't even open until four hours from now?" stated Sinikka. She pushed away strands of her white hair from his face, wither her green eyes pierced the dark like cat's eyes. The two of them were kneeling beneath the glass skylight in the central room of Federal Hall, prepping the ground for a large circle to be drawn across the marble floor. The moon light was gone after a cloud passed over it, and yet it wasn't too difficult to see the rest of the corridors leading in and out. "The guards won't be looking at us. Not when they are on a wild goose chase." "O~oh" Sinikka replied, now curious as to what he had done precisely with his Mystic Eyes. "What did you have them chasing instead?" "Wild geese, but of course." Nicholas could have stifled his own humour had he not been to concentrated on completing his work with the minuscule amount of damage. Even with drawing implements that were not made permanent, he was keen not to leave even the slightest stain that would cause damage of any kind. Chapter One They worked diligently for the next hour. At Nicholas' insistence, he wanted the circle to be devoid of any irregularities, and everything else that may have caused a problem to be at the bare minimum. Sinikka didn't mind the task, despite it being so toilsome and accepted it as a necessary precaution. Summoning a hero to become a temporary familiar, and having wanting one in mind meant extra effort needed to be put in place to increase the odds of success. "May I just ask, why here of all places?" Sinikka asked Nicholas as he placed the wooden plaque in the centre of the circle. She herself was checking the lighting of the room and making sure the candles wouldn't spill upon the circle midway through the ritual. Her query though late as all preparations were nearing completion, was justified given the circumstances of their work; They had allies and a perfectly good base of operations from which they could have held out until they were a united force with many masters and servants on the same side. Hy-Brasil was not a place just anyone could happen upon on a moment's whim, and with all the dolls guarding the place, it was basically a miniature army base isolated from contact with reality. Compared to having waited until late into the nighttime and having fooled the security into chasing wild geese figmented by their subconscious suggestions, the former would have been a viable and much safer place to have invoked the ritual. Yet, Nicholas had adamantly decided upon this place, and not even for his own servant at that. Nicholas stood up, but never faced her when he answered. His hands tried time and time again to adjust the angle of the plaque. "We need to test to see if the same can be done with a catalyst, but by focusing on a particular subject with only a shred of evidence that our catalyst is even connected to whom we wish to incarnate." His hands finally stopped fiddling as he looked out at the res of the circle from the floor height. Sinikka assumed that he was trying to align it with a potential ley line beneath the city, although based on the angle, it wouldn't have even paralleled with the road outside. "There is no better place" he continued after satisfied with the result, "than heere at the wall?" The momentary elongation of a single syllable was what Sinikka caught out of that entire conversation. "Did you just make a quote?" That phrase tickled something in her memory, but it couldn't be recalled as immediately as she heard it. Not that Nicholas would have admitted it if he paid any attention. "What does that matter if it was?" This was Nicholas, of course; he didn't act like a human being, but neither was he inhuman. It was odd watching him work, as if he was beyond the conception of humanity. Perhaps that was not the correct way of placing it, but he was a person that generally easily gravitated towards, while others would be pushed away by his walking alongside them. 'A human magnet.' That had been one of the comparisons Daisy had used to describe him; people above or below him were attracted, and those on equal footing or aimed to do so were repelled. Though he didn't do so of his volition, it was his inherent nature. "The only thing" he continued as he took a higher perspective of their collaborative work "that should be of priority is fulfilling the experiment. Every success will be history and the testing of beyond the limitations of what magecraft can achieve. One day soon, this ritual will never come again if all is well." "You make it sound like you are expecting another war in the future." His response was grave. Though he intended to be the victor of the war by all means necessary, some lingering doubt still pertained. Not that his attainment was out of reach. Only that even when the war was won, it didn't mean the end. "The grail is a curious thing; it will come again, and if so, it's best to have the information to properly use it to our advantage while we still can. The next one might not allow us to be so picky after all." He stepped down from his high position, allowing the floor to resume it level state once more after having distorted it as a makeshift lifting platform. He pressed his hands back to the floor as he inspected if his handiwork had left any permanent damage to the hall's floor. "Even if our war is intended to be the last. Even wars that end all wars are merely sparks to ignite a bigger fire." His words . Yet still, his answers did not satisfy her. "But why here, specifically? Surely back in Europe would have been-" He didn't need to say anything but face her, and she immediately stopped midsection. "The Magus are crawling all over Europe, we would be caught too easily. They covet the lands, and the church covet the rest. We would have caused too great a stir staying in one location as they awaited us to emerge from the fog. And without a strong enough catalyst, we have little to guarantee that this will be successful at all." He pointed outwards at the south end. "Wall street in named after the wall built by the Dutch after they obtained New Amsterdam before it was taken by the British and renamed New York. This building is also housed between two Starbucks shops, considering their logo is based on our chosen hero. We will find no better place outside of continental Europe than here, lest we risk an improbable location between the English and Scottish borders." "Then, why not go to Seattle?" "Too far" he cut down that suggestion like carving nourishment with a sharp knife. "Our prize may be closer, but our allies are not. And let's not forget the Magus who roam the old world. If we do not stop them before they "You mean to say . . . we won't be the only ones after the grail?" "That is precisely it; the association are probably preparing for war too. If they haven't already, then the magus upstairs must be still indulging in rose-tinted spectacles to have ignored us for this long a time." Indeed. It wasn't as if many of the magus that survived forgot about the Great War in Romania and the destruction of both the Mage's Association Alliance force and the Yggdmillennia clan. War was the last thing on anyone's wants and desires. Even the lauded nobles were nervous about being pressured back into conflict given their relatively lower successes in the proxy wars that had sprung up prior to the events that unfolded in Trifas. Or, that was how Sinikka wanted to believe they were reviewing it. "It's ready." Her thoughts were brought back at his call, with his footsteps walking further and further away from both her and the magic seal completed at their feet. She stepped before the circle, as Nicholas stepped back until the wall's cold breathed down his back. "What do you need me to say?" she asked without turning. "Whatever feels natural" he replied. His voice was far away enough that it was resonating alittle in the quiet night. "I have already informed and have been informed by our allies that all of theirs have and will be conducted thusly. One has already been confirmed successful despite making their recital different from the one the Mage's Association supposedly claimed was the "true" method for invoking heroic spirits." Nicholas had been pleased by that result. With all these variations having been successful, there was no doubt that this was a great find in the quest for obtaining knowledge. Three times successful was no fluke nor coincidence. A fourth would only prove that the chant itself was irrelevant so long as the power behind the words found formula and created that chain to bind the being awaiting in the Throne of Heroes. Sinikka held out her hand above the circle, and took a pin from her pocket to prick her digit. She winced as the needle pierced the skin, and once more when she pulled it out, allowing for a drop of blood from her index finger drip unto the circle. The sound of its splash on the floor echoed quietly like a small tap in the room. Stone and salt original / Stain and assault the origin The cornerstone awakens the ancestor / Calling to contract by shining sun and seas Rally unto battle / Rise under black Four cardinal winds graze / Four cardinal gates wind shut The King covets the crown / Crossroads come to the command Shatter and simply fill / Rinse and repeat five times Raise (Raze) / Raise (Raze) / Raise (Raze) / Raise (Raze) / Raise (Raze) Your self be my staff / My self be your master In accordance, approach / Abide unto the oath Become for the globe / That bests all the good Life which never dies / Death that no longer lives Queen of Crete / The Monster's Mother Enchantment and Etiquette / Mystic Mistress, arrive! The circle took in the words and began to work its magic. Sinikka felt a drain on her mana as the lines came alive, and the plaque drew in the smoke of the burning candles, until every sight was clouded in grey under the light of the moon. Chapter Two And the blood red pyrotechnics began to calm, the room returned into the darkness, save for a newly arrived source of light that became an occupant in the room. Standing atop the Long hair flowing in length, rippling between shades of gold, yellow, platinum, peach and topaz, that reflected sun light in a golden aurora, and cloaked in head to toe in white linen. Her eyes so blue that the sea and the skies and the horizon between them were pictured within two small orbs of aquamarine and cyan shades. Even in the dark, the brightness in her irises shone through the room like cat's eyes, scanning the area before settling her gaze upon Sinikka. There was no change in her expression; it remained neutral and without reacting to this new situation as if all the world was expecting this event to have taken place. "Responding to your summons" her voice purred into room, "I have come. I, Caster of Dusk, stand before you. I ask this; are you my master?" Sinikka was forced to step back and away from this too uncomfortably regal aura her newly summoned servant was projecting. "Y-yes. Yes, I am your master. I-, My name is Sinikka. Sinikka Jarvinen. It's a pleasure t-to make your acquaintance, Caster." "A pleasure to make your acquaintance also" she replied, however felt no inclination to bow or prostrate herself before her summoning magus. "It makes no difference to me what your name is, but I am more inclined to present thanks to the grail that my master is you." "I'm sorry, co-could you please rephrase that for me?" "I meant no offence in anything I was saying personally, but I have a sore history with the other sex and this scenario we have found ourselves in resounds better in my judgement." "And . . . if he had been the one to summon you?" She didn't say anything for a while, apparently as if Caster had yet to notice the second human who had been standing in the room. There was no reaction what so ever as her eyes locked on to him for a second or two before looking away at something that had apparently always been one with the room and not something to dawdle over for much longer than necessary. "I would have made moves to kill him before he could force me into obedience." She replied sweetly that even her words seemed consumed of all its sour and bitter notes. Although given the mistrust of men in her history, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. It seemed that anytime a woman had magic, there was always some man or men who come into their lives and ruin it for them. Even with modern society, the female mages are still wary and abide by their cautionary tales. Many who became their family's heirs would rather avoid marriage altogether to ensure that there would be . . . "complications" in matrimony, so to speak. "You're not Melusine, are you?" Nicholas spoke at last, but his words were directed at Caster and not to Sinikka. "No. You are correct. That is not my true name." There was an unmistakable *tch* in his response before words ever found their way to his thoughts. Caster almost had an inkling to twitch at his apparent rudeness to her presence. Thankfully she was more restrained than most servants so she would forget about this insult to her person in particular. For the moment at least. Not many had the patience of a queen to be so forgiving on first transgressions. "Pity" he said, though he didn't even want to look in their direction any longer. He turned around and started walking towards the exits from the hall. "I had hoped otherwise, but fate has cast the die the other way." "Wait!" Sinikka shouted before sharply covering her mouth after realising the volume. "Please, Klaus, we can't afford to be so rude-" "Don't make apologies on my behalf" he cut back without turning. "This was not the result I was hoping for. That was all I said. I am not disappointed in who you have summoned so long as your servant may still perform the tasks to achieve our victory. Her statistics say she has what we require, so my complaints are none." He didn't stop walking, but rather only slowed his pace of exiting to a minimum so that his words could be savoured for longer. He then continued after taking in a large inhale of breath. "I will allow the two of you to converse as long as you see fit. The guards will not bother you so long as you don't talk to them. Find me in the lobby before you leave or when you are done. The next stage will commence then, but ensure you arrive before dawn." "Wai-!" He didn't wait. He was gone before her words could reach him. She could have followed quickly and caught him in no time, but her feet refused to move. "Is he just heartless, or perhaps even a dullard to his own actions?" "He's . . . complicated" Sinikka responded to her servant's words "Please tell me he is not, as you say, 'your type', master?" "There is no type, Caster." Her words could have come a little slower, but the same message got through regardless. "By the way, C-caster." "What is it?" "M-mu- . . . m-May I ask who you are. Who you really are?" It was not amusement that appeared on Caster's face. A slightly elated form of curiosity perhaps, but definitly not an emotion Sinikka could easily dissect. "I assumed it would have been obvious; pale unblemished skin, hair light with sunrays, and eyes like the open oceans." "Are you a goddess then?" "Close, but not quite. For I am Pasiphae, former princess of Colchis, Queen of Crete. The Daughter of Helios, God of the Sun, and Perse, Daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Perhaps you may know me better as the sister of Circe, and aunt of Medea." Chapter Three To say that Nicholas was unhappy with the situation was nothing short of an understatement. He walked to the lobby near the entrance of the museum, and of course the guards were still too busy with their invisible geese to even realise he was walking right in front of them. Had he been inclined, he might have even taken a smoke had it not been for his personal distaste for the smell of tobacco. He leaned upon the front desk without directly sitting on it as he admired the front door as a source of distraction. His eyes darted around before he signed and turned back away from the corridor he just came from. This was not the Caster I wanted. He had made every preparation, and put everything down perfectly in order to get the summoning he desired. He chose a road that had significance ties to both the Benelux region and the British isles. This museum was situated between two corporative stores bearing her visage. He even used the same plaque, or so he believed so. He more than had to, it was almost a need. It was suppose to be the perfect scenario. After all, he wasn't doing this for himself or for the others. This was for her. She still haunted him, even after ten years and he could not shake her. He didn't want to shake her. Her memory was what was keeping this mission alive and he would be damned if he allowed anyone to stop him. Those halcyon days in his youth when she was still alive. Talking with him, like an older sister to a younger brother, despite the fact they were going to be . . . so much more than that. She may not have been ready to see it, but he had. After taking what was most precious to him, the Grail War was finally going to repay him tenfold. Hundredfold if he had his way, but there was no point in standing on a child's dream unless the result is within reason. He heard footsteps, but knew it wasn't the guards. they were a pair matching each others speeds and there was no needless darting around in search of figments that did not exist. The pair of footsteps halved, which Nicholas assumed meant that Caster was now in spirit form. Good. He knew it was better this way. For the both of them. Around the corner, Sinikka came but appeared to check over her shoulder a couple of times, which he assumed was her either conversing mentally or checking on her now invisible servant walking a pace behind. "Are you done?" She only nodded in response, which prompted him to kick himself back to his feet. "Where are we going?" she asked, but was stopped when a couple of tickets were pulled from his jacket and shoved into her hands. "Casablanca" he said, "Morocco. Your flight leaves at 10 tomorrow night." "My flight? And you?" "I will conduct my summoning here. Alone. It is best that you regroup with the others for now so that we may make our advances separately." "You mean, you will head for Japan the other way, while we crawl across the lands of Antiquity as a distraction?" "You will regroup and make your way as a combined force" he stated. "I will remain here to do what I must on this side of the ocean." Sinikka turned to leave, but then Nicholas' hand grabbed for her shoulder. His voice breathed into her right ear. "Do not put all your faith into your servant." Sinikka's head jerked back in surprise, but Nicholas did not allow her to turn nor to hit him. It was not her aim to cause harm, merely a reaction to the event, but its mobility was hindered deliberately. "Wh-w-Why not?" "Though she appears to have . . . taken an impression on you, her legend is one that doesn't look too kindly on being slighted. Not one bit." Sinikka's eyes widened as she realised that Nicholas understood fully who the Heroic spirit she had just summoned but less than an hour before was without being around to hear. "Wait, how did-" He cut her off before she could finish that sentence, pressing his head closer towards her own to close the gap as tightly as possible. "These walls allow for sound to travel easy" he explained, raising his voice slightly so that the walls echoed just to further prove his point. "Think before you allow your servant to give themselves away unless it is to your advantage next time." He stopped a second and darted his eyes around him. Caster was definitely not within sights, but Nicholas just had that feeling. Maybe not dematerialised, but she could hear him. "I am sure she can hear me also, which is why I am making it no secret now. You may become easy to forget as you become companions but one of you is a heroic spirit from antiquity and the other is a mortal anchor to this time. That is what is most important, so let it carve itself to your minds before you lose that and do something moronic." Epilogue Royal Air Maroc from Washington Dulles International Airport to Mohammed V International Airport. Now Boarding 21:55 to 10:05. Seven hours and ten minute flight. They had waited at the airport the entire day for the flight to arrive, and after a series of hourly delays, they were finally allowed to board. A good thing as well since Caster was almost tempted to blow up the airport for their impudence until Sinikka had finally allowed her to calm down. They sat near the front, in the premier economy class seat with extra leg room at the front of the plane. Nicholas had been cheap not to purchase seats in first-class, but he at least made sure the flight was a little more comfortable for the two of them. After all, it wouldn't do any good if Caster got antsy again. Who knows what could happen if she said she would blow up the plane for being uncomfortable. "Was it right to leave him by himself?" Sinikka pondered the question as her eyes wandered up and down the aisles. She originally wanted the window seat, yet decided it was best to allow Caster to occupy it unless she decided to cast her gaze to the people around the plane. Nicholas' harsh words from that evening were enough to spook her into putting them into real consideration. "He appeared a capable youth" Caster answered as she looked out tot eh airport from her small window, obviously more distracted by the sights of this new world that passed hers long ago. "And if he manages to get himself bumped off, then that's one less problem for our side as well as their's." "That . . . doesn't inspire much confidence, Caster." She expected to shrink her head when Caster's gaze turned around to look towards her. "Believe me, in my day youths too 'spunky' like that were monster food, so their deaths were nothing short of common occurrences. Even ones children were not safe, no matter how much control you tried to exercise." Then, just before the plane was about to lock its doors, a familiar sight walked right passed the cabin crew who looked through him like a sheet of glass as he made his way towards the empty seats. The familiar sight with black hair and blue eyes settled himself on the chair across the right side aisle from her as if natural. He didn't bother looking at her, which she considered quite rude given that she had come her by his own instruction. "Nicholas?" He stopped short of putting his headphones on as she called out his name. "I thought you said you were not coming-" "There has been a change of plans" he said, cutting her off before she could finish that sentence with his answer. "I have already made contact with our allies and we will all be convening in the same place." "But, yo-" "I have had a change of heart" he declared, again disallowing her to continue. "There is one last discussion we all must have with ourselves before we truly declare open warfare on the Mage's Association and the Church for the Holy Grail." Caster's eyes, on the other hand, kept a clear focus to a blank space directly behind Nicholas and was glaring at it with such intent that it might as well have pierced the hull of the craft. "And when are you going to show yourself" she called out to the empty air. "You may be dematerialised, but I have a keen sense for these kinds of things." "I beg for pardons if I have cause rudeness" a voice called out from nowhere, startling Sinikka a little. "I did not wish to become a distraction, and I find mobility easier when I am not hindered by the physical world." There was a moment of respite where Nicholas looked around the cabin again, his eyes giving off the faintest of flashes as the light reflected off of them, before he gave a short nod. The air behind them morphed and rippled until it took shape into a figure standing directly behind himself. A great giant of a man, but still a man, coated in black armour and a cape that hung to his ankles. He was bronze skinned and eyes like pools of fire. "My greetings to you, allies in arms. I am my master's servant; Rider of Dusk. And I will be the supreme commander in our upcoming war."